


Shallow Play

by 2splinters



Category: The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, male!sheik
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2splinters/pseuds/2splinters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after Link defeated Ganondorf, multiple deaths with mysterious causes emerge over all of Hyrule. Queen Zelda enlists her two most trusted allies and friends, Link and Sheik, to investigate these strange events and put an end to the matter, but things are never that simple for Link.</p><p>I've edited the first two chapters of this story as of 3-22-16</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tar

**Author's Note:**

> Sheik is a seperate character from Zelda and is male.
> 
> Title is from the song of the same name by The New Division (It'll have meaning later in the story I swear)

Link was brushing Epona when he was summoned by the Queen. A slightly out-of-breath errand boy, whom looked no older than 10 or 11, jogged up to him holding a letter sealed with the Queen’s stamp. 

“Letter from the Queen, Sir. She requests that you report to her offices immediately.” the boy panted, then turned on his heels and ran in the direction he came. Link looked after the boy for a second, curious as to how busy the castle probably kept the child daily, then remembered the letter in his hands. He looked down at the envelope and quickly unsealed the wax stamp, unfolding the paper and reading the words slowly.

Worry started to form in his gut as he read the short letter.

_“Link, please report to my offices as soon as you get this. There have been strange occurrences happening as of late and you may have a new mission on the horizon._

  
_Your Queen,_  


_Zelda”_  


He starred at the letter for a few extra seconds, making sure he had read it right, then stuffed it in the pocket of his dirty work shirt. Link put Epona away in the horse’s grazing field near the stables and made sure she was taken care of, quickly taking off in the direction of Zelda’s offices.

After he had defeated Ganon and freed Hyrule from its seven years of turmoil, the Princess-turned-Queen quickly began making repairs to the ruins of the Castle and Castle Town. All of the citizens working on rebuilding the town and castle were so overjoyed that Ganon had been defeated that their enthusiasm helped all of the repairs become finished in less than six months. Now, it had nearly been two years since Link had defeated Ganondorf and life had gone back to normal for most of the survivors of Ganon’s reign. 

As Link reached the large wooden doors of the Offices, he stopped and waited as the two guards on either side of the doors recognized him and made haste to allow him in. He walked in and found Zelda sitting straight ahead at her large wooden desk, whispering to Sheik who stood on the side of the desk closest to Link and listening quietly. Link brightened instantly at the sight of the Sheikah, having become good friends since the war ended, but then realized that if Sheik were here then this must be a very serious manner and frowned slightly.

As he approached the desk, Zelda and Sheik turned to look at Link in surprise, so caught up in whatever they were saying as to not even notice the blonde figure walk in. Zelda gave him a tired smile and beckoned him to come stand across from her. Sheik gave a curt nod in acknowledgement to Link, their eyes meeting in a silent conversation that told him that this was indeed a dire situation.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you with no warning in advance, Link, but there appears to be trouble stirring in Hyrule again.” the Queen mumbled cryptically, resting her chin in her hand. She looked exhausted, dark bags under her eyes, skin slightly more pale than usual. Hair looking messy as though she had been tugging at it repeatedly in thought, a habit she had picked up during the Reconstruction.

“Zelda, what’s happened? Are you alright?” Link asked solemnly, eyes burning into hers. After first meeting the Princess, he would have never even imagined to address her so casually, but after spending so much time with her these past two years they’d become close, almost like siblings. 

The Queen scrunched up her nose and looked at Link, shaking her head. “If only. Have you heard of the mysterious deaths happening lately? The ones where people are found dead with tar clogging their throats and mouths?” she spoke, and Link nodded. 

“People have described the deaths of the people as ‘looking as though they choked on the tar; as if it comes from their stomach like slow-rising bile that they suffocate on.’ That seems odd, does it not?” Link nodded again while Sheik starred at her silently, watching Zelda raptly. 

She stood abruptly, starting to pace. “What of it, Lady Queen?” Sheik asked after a slight pause and an exchanged look between himself and Link, his normally even tone giving way to slight concern for Zelda’s wellbeing. When problems arose in Hyrule it often affected the Queens health personally. At his question, she glanced at Sheik and gave him a worried look as she stopped pacing behind her chair.

“If it had only been one or two cases of this strange event, I wouldn’t have gotten so worked up over it. However, currently there have been over seven reported cases of this in the past two months. After some investigation, it seems that these attacks have been directed at the parents or guardians of children or younger teenagers whom went missing at approximately the same time as the strange deaths.” Zelda huffed, looking even more worn than before and sat back down at her desk, resting her elbow on the hard surface. She put her chin in her hand, looking up at the two male figures standing before her.

“I’ve been having strange dreams the past fortnight or two. In them, a tar-like substance drips from the mouths of every adult in Castle Town and Kakariko Village, and all of the children are gone. The substance erupts from Death Mountain and even flows through the Zora’s River in my dream, completely turning the water thick and black. There’s not much else I remember from my visions, but I don’t think I need any more signs for me to know that something’s wrong. I just don’t know what exactly that is yet.

“I have my top scientists examining samples of this substance from the past two victims fervidly, and another team examining the bodies from which the tar came. However,” she paused, casting her gaze at her desk in thought, then looking back up at the two men. “I don’t think this is purely coincidental that this strange event is happening so often, or that the children of these people have gone missing. I’m left to ask you two, my best and most reliable resources, to investigate this matter where it all seemed to have started: Kakariko Village.” She gave them a hopeful stare, yet the two men knew they would never turn down a mission from her.

Link smiled warmly at her expression, as did Sheik by the way his eyes crinkled at the corners slightly. Sheik glanced at his comrade, whom gave a confident nod, then looked back at the Queen.

“Lady Queen, it would be an honor for us to assist you in any way possible in this grim situation.” Sheik spoke formally yet firmly, and to anyone but Zelda and Link it would seem like he didn’t hold any history with the Queen. Having lived with her in hiding for seven years while Link slept in the Sacred Realm, however, made the statement anything but true. 

Zelda smiled, highly pleased that her two closest companions and friends were willing to investigate the matter. Although Link could tell that she was withholding information by the way her smile seemed too tight at the corners, he decided to leave it be for now and wait for her to reveal the secrets in due time.

After she told the two that they would be leaving at dawn the next morning and gave them directions to the household that they would start their investigation at, she dismissed them from her offices saying that she would see them later that night at supper.

Link and Sheik both left the Queen to her business and cleared the room, hearing the rustling of papers and scrolls behind them as Zelda continued to work. As they walked down the hall in silence, both lost in thought about the new mission, Sheik suddenly turned to him.

“Link, would you care to join me at the stables? I need to make sure that Vedette is properly rested and prepared before tomorrow’s ride.” Sheik spoke in a subdued voice, but it was obvious that he wanted to speak about more than their horses. Link nodded and the two made their way to the stables in silence.


	2. Starting Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking for someone to be a beta reader for this story to help me keep in-character and make this readable lol, please let me know if you're interested!

Once they arrived at the stables, Link whistled for Epona and walked with Sheik to where his horse Vedette stood, standing contentedly and watching the two men from her spot with calm eyes. Epona trotted up to them and huffed in annoyance, nudging Links arm with her snout, and Link smiled and rubbed her neck affectionately. As Sheik slipped into the stall he grabbed a brush from the wall and began brushing his palomino horse’s white mane, eyes narrowed in thought.

“Link, do you think another evil being like Ganondorf could be trying to rise? This obviously does not seem to be any ordinary string of events, and if someone powerful is behind this then I fear for the worst.” Sheik mumbled softly, eyes focused on brushing his horse but his mind elsewhere. Link thought for a moment, eyes wandering on Sheik’s face before he spoke.

“I do feel that someone, or something, is behind this; it’s too unnatural. I can’t say for sure though without investigating first. Let’s try not to jump to conclusions before we’ve even left the castle, okay?” Link asked, giving a soft smile and resting his forearms against the stable door.

Sheik glanced at him through his bangs, an unreadable emotion reflecting in his eyes before their corners crinkled gratefully. It was moments like these that really made Link want to just reach over and tug the other boy’s cowl down. However he knew that he would never do it, his respect for Sheik was too high to do something so impulsive. Of course that didn’t stop him from thinking about it every once in a while.

Shrugging the thought away, Link gave a parting nodded to Sheik with a bright smile and led Epona back to her stable just a few stalls down from Vedette’s. As he settled her in for the evening, he couldn’t help but feel that Sheik’s feelings on this were right.

At supper, the room was filled with a somewhat awkward silence. Zelda looked about ready to fall asleep in her stew, and Sheik scooped the meal into his mouth by turning away from them and lowering his cowl slightly. Between bites, the young Sheikah would stare at his food in thought or aggressively pull apart his bread before soaking in the broth. Link felt alone as he at his meal in what felt like solitude. He was just lucky that they all ate together tonight instead of alone in their separate chambers as usual. 

Navi was sitting on the table beside Link’s plate, shoveling small bits of food in her mouth from Link’s platter and drinking water from his goblet. It made Link smile to see his little friend eating so earnestly, reminding him of happier times. While she tended to stay with Link most of the time, she would take time like today and meander around the gardens or explore the castle on her own. 

Once the four of them finally finished their meals, Zelda wished them good luck on their inquiries in Kakariko and bid them goodnight, asking Navi to ‘keep an eye on the boys’ with a grin, and left with three guards following her to her rooms. The two men made eye contact after she had disappeared from sight, and Link couldn’t help but ask based on Sheik’s appearance at dinner, “Are you that concerned about the incidents, Sheik?”

Sheik sighed and looked down, glaring softly at the flooring like it had personally offended him. “…No. But I am concerned for what they may mean.” He paused, looking out the windows next to Link. “Goodnight, Link.” Sheik said, looking as piercingly into Links eyes as Link did his. The intensity of the gaze made Link shudder just before Sheik turned away, swiftly walking in the opposite direction. 

Link stared at the corner Sheik disappeared around with Navi giggling from her spot on his head. He was knocked back into reality moments later by an older maid with a laundry basket on her hip walking around the same corner. When she noticed Link, she gave him a look that made him feel almost indecent just by breathing. Link quickly turned away and sped to his rooms, a deep blush creeping up his neck as he remembered Sheik’s piercing eyes.

 

By the time the three set off for Kakariko, the sun was fresh in the sky and the horses more than ready for a good stretch. As hoofs pounded hard on the dirt path, Link chanced a glance at Sheik after a good distance was put between them and Castle Town. His eyes were narrowed slightly in thought, but overall he seemed to be in a better mindset about this mission than he had been the night before. 

Link idly wondered what had happened to help ease the Sheikah’s mind. He shrugged to himself, simply pleased that Sheik wasn’t so bothered anymore. Navi tugged at his hair in his hat as she made herself more comfortable, and the familiar gesture eased Link’s thoughts.

As hours past, it seemed like they would never reach Kakariko Village, but just as the thought popped into Link’s head the archway and stairs became visible in the distance. He smiled to himself at the sight, delighted that their long ride was almost over, and looked at Sheik whom was expressionless.

Once the two men and fairy had arrived at the Village and rented stalls for their horses, they stood near the entrance of the bustling town and pulled out the scroll Zelda had sent to them this morning by the same errand boy from yesterday. 

As Sheik and Navi’s eyes quickly flitted across the page, Link took longer to read through the instructions and take it all in. Zelda really didn’t give much information as to how to start the investigation, and Link quirked his lips downward at the vague wording.

_“Try to find out as much information as you can. Impa should be arriving to town in two days’ time, get more details from her.  
Love, Zelda”_

Directions to the house that they would be investigating were written underneath the note in clean and precise script. Sheik rolled the parchment up after analyzing the map, stuffing the paper back in his bag that hung off his shoulder. Navi flitted between the two men, nervousness heavy in the air. “What do we do once we investigate the house? Do you think it will have all the answers? What if we don’t-” she was cut off as Link gently cupped her in his hands, waited a few seconds, and then opened them to reveal her small form sitting annoyed in his palm. 

Link laughed softly and set the fairy on his shoulder, Sheik huffing in amusement. Navi looked ready to start pulling Link’s eyebrows out, which she had done once when he had neglected her for too long, so he attempted to pacify her worries. 

“Navi, we’ll figure out what to do when we get there. For now, let’s just focus on our main task and find the house where the first deaths took place.” He said, starting to walk in the direction of the crime scene. Sheik followed silently beside him, and by the time the three made it to the house the sky was just starting to turn orange due to the setting sun. As they walked up the building, a shout came from behind them. 

They turned to see a young man, probably not much older than them, stumbling through the noisy and crowded streets in their direction. As he arrived at the porch out of breath and red faced, Link and Sheik exchanged a quick curious glance before looking back at the stranger. His bright orange hair drew attention to him, as well as his lanky figure and heavily freckled face, and by the time he stood up straight and finished walking up to the two Link wondered what business the man had with them.

“My name is Jole, sirs, I’m sorry I’m late. My sister and her husband were the owners of this here house, it’s a pleasure to meet you two.” He fervently shook both of their hands and nodded to Navi politely. As the blood left his face, Link noticed the tightness of his features and the way his whole body looked on edge, as if he were a spring wound tight.

Sheik spoke up first, gesturing to himself and Link, “Jole, I’m Sheik of the Sheikah tribe and a part of the Royal Guard. This here is Link, a knight and advisor of Queen Zelda herself and his fairy companion Navi. Can you perhaps let us know how long ago did the killings take place?”

“A-about three fortnights ago, sir,” Jole stuttered, seeming to have trouble swallowing as his face contorted at the memory. “I ought to tell you that I was there that night. Well, not there per say, but I had stopped by to drop off some fresh herbs. My sister and her husband looked as happy together as they always have, and my niece Eta was having so much fun playing with whatever her little fingers could grab,” Jole chuckled in remorse, “I shouldn’t have left, maybe then they’d still be here…”

Sheik grasped Jole’s shoulder, forcing the young man to look at him. “I understand you feel guilty about this murder, but you cannot blame yourself for what happened to your family. What’s done is done, all you can do is move on from this not only for your sake, but for your sister’s sake.” He paused, looking into Jole’s eyes to make sure the he got his point. Only when the man nodded quickly did Sheik pull back and continue, “Now tell us, was there anything particularly unusual about that night, anything at all?””

Jole stared blankly into the space above Sheik’s shoulder before focusing back on him, then looking at Link and Navi as well in confirmation. When he finally felt confident enough, he spoke, “I saw someone. I don’t remember a whole lot from the encounter, but I know that he looked odd.”

“What did he look like?” Link asked, urging him gently to continue. Jole’s mouth quirked to the side, his eyes wandering around the porch in thought.

“Well… he had long, long white hair. Long enough that it was braided and wrapped around his shoulders almost like a shawl,” Jole’s brows scrunched, eyes narrowing in thought. “He was wearing strange, billowy clothes. Nothing like anyone around here wears. I thought he was simply a weary traveler taking refuge at my sister’s house for the night, but now I’m not so sure.”

Running his hands over his face, the man sighed. It was with this gesture that made Link think he resembled a scared and lonely child. He clasped Jole on the shoulder, a sympathetic smile on his face.

“We’ll do our best to figure out what happened to your family, I swear.” Once Jole looked at him and seemed to believe him as genuine, he nodded slowly. “C’mon, let us go ahead and look inside. We’ll finish as soon as we can and leave you be for the rest of the night.”

Nodding again, this time with more determination, Jole stepped past the two men and pulled a key out of his pocket. As he inserted the key into the doorknob, Link and Sheik exchanged one last look before the door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear things will start picking up after this aaa


End file.
